The real is back, the ‘ville is back.

It took 1,120 days for J. Cole to release his sixth studio album, “The Off-Season,” the follow-up to his 2018 album, “KOD”. Instead of being in connection to his recent albums, “The Off-Season” pays homage to his earlier mixtapes, “The Come Up,” “The Warm Up” and “Friday Night Lights.” “The Off-Season” is a masterclass way for Cole to wrap up that segment of his career.

The Build-up

Following the release of “KOD,” Cole went on one of the greatest feature runs of all time, providing amazing verses to Dreamville collaborators Bas and Cozz, 6LACK, Jay Rock, Royce Da 5’9”, Wale, Offset, Ty Dolla $ign, Young Thug and maybe most notably in regards to “The Off-Season,” 21 Savage.

On “The Off-Season” documentary, released four days before the album, Cole touched specifically on the feature run.

“Do you really want to look back and be like you didn’t work with nobody, you didn’t have no songs with nobody? You just cool with that?” Cole said. “No? Okay, then start saying yes to some features.”

Cole treated the feature run as an album and as an opportunity to cement himself not only as a great solo artist but as a sensational collaborator.

Then came “Revenge of the Dreamers III (ROTD3),” the third collective project from Cole’s record label, Dreamville, in July 2019. 35 artists and 27 producers made the final cut for the album, many of them being smaller and gaining notability because of Cole. 

After ROTD3, Cole went dormant.

That was until July 2020, when Cole released “Lewis Street,” a two-song EP including the tenth track from “The Off-Season,” “t h e . c l i m b . b a c k.”

At the time, these two songs were released as singles for Cole’s next and final album, “The Fall Off.” While “The Fall Off” is still considered to be Cole’s last album, it wasn’t until an Instagram post on Dec. 29, 2020, from Cole that showed a more lengthy timeline, including that his next project would be titled, “The Off-Season.” The beginning of the release process had begun.

The Release

It’s a rare occurrence nowadays for rappers to have a proper, thorough release process and it’s so special when it happens.

From November 2020 to May 2021, Cole finished and perfected “The Off-Season.” On May 4, he made it official.

“Just know this was years in the making,” Cole said on social media as he finally announced the album release date of May 14 and showcased the cover.

Cole released another single, “i n t e r l u d e,” a week prior to the album’s release. Cole had a lot of audacity to release an interlude as a single. Its goal was to give fans a much-needed teaser and that’s what it did.

A few days later, he premiered a 12-minute documentary titled “Applying Pressure: The Off-Season Documentary” on YouTube. The video covered the complete creative process Cole went through to make this album.

Hours before the album’s release, Cole shared the official track list and producer list. Most notably, the track list didn’t include any features. Was this going to be another solo Cole album or were there surprise features? Nobody knew.

Through two weeks, Cole created the most hype for an album that I’ve felt this year. He had set the stage and it was time for the music to perform.

“The Off-Season”

This album is special for so many reasons, whether it’s the flawless production, Cole’s flows, his notable and obvious lyricism or the surprise features from 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Morray, 6LACK and Bas.

The first listening experience was extremely memorable. When artists hide features in their track lists, it makes me significantly more curious to hear if someone might hop on the track. Thankfully, Cole did that and then had their names appear on streaming platforms a day later so those artists get their deserved recognition.

“9 5 . s o u t h” – A very, very solid introduction to the album. Cam’ron’s and Lil Jon’s vocals fit perfectly over the Boi-1da beat. Cole showcases his ability to rap on and off the beat and still make it sound elite.

“a m a r i” – Named after Dreamville’s label manager Ibrahim Hamad’s son, this track is the common story of Cole’s rise from Fayetteville, North Carolina and includes many bars of a braggadocious lifestyle. Cole’s heightened intensity during the middle of this verse elevates this song for me.

“m y . l i f e” – This is my favorite song on the album. This song is an instant classic. Cole’s verse is flawless. His lines about Ja Morant to selling out Wrigley’s Field were great. Morray’s hook and 21 Savage’s verse fit perfectly. I don’t know what it is, but when Cole and 21 Savage link up on a soul sample with a simple, rising beat, they deliver.

“a p p l y i n g . p r e s s u r e” – This song is the definition of Cole just doing his thing. He’s just rapping to rap and flaunting his wealth over production done entirely by himself. This song includes some of the brashest Cole vocals in his discography.

“p u n c h i n ‘ . t h e . c l o c k” – This is my least favorite song on the album. While I understand the purpose of the lyrics about putting the time in and perfecting your craft, I felt as if it wasn’t executed to the standards that Cole sets for himself.

“1 0 0 . m i l ‘ “ – I like this song, but I don’t love it like how I love the majority of the track list. He’s rapping about topics he’s already covered in better songs on this album. I think he included it because of the vocal intensity he showcases. Bas’ vocals were solid. The Michael B. Jordan line was notably corny and it stands out every time I’ve listened.

“p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l” – This is my second favorite song on the album and sets the tone for the second half of the album. The first thing I noticed was the sampling of Aminé’s 2020 song, “Can’t Decide.” Lil Baby’s guest verse is flawless and I normally am not a fan of Lil Baby guest verses. The way he steps in and goes toe-to-toe with Cole is phenomenal. I never expected this collaboration but I am so happy it came to fruition. On top of the exceptional performances by both rappers, the lyrical value of this track is unique and strong.

“l e t . g o . m y . h a n d” – This is my third favorite song on the album. This song holds the most lyrical value on the album. The slower, more intentional approach by Cole on track is what makes me love him so much. His wordplay describing his fear of being a father raising a Black son in America is exceptional. The additional vocals from Bas and 6LACK are fitting. This song is reminiscent of the vibe of “4 Your Eyez Only,” Cole’s 2016 album.

“i n t e r l u d e” – This track was a great teaser for the album and it fits its place on the track list. While only being about two minutes long, Cole’s lines about his presence at the top of the industry sound good and they make sense on this album.

“t h e . c l i m b . b a c k” – The lyrical value of this track is great. After releasing “KOD,” Cole lost some of the love he had for rapping. I love that he made a song directed towards him rediscovering that love and passion. I think this might fly under the radar for some people since it’s been released for 10 months but this track is exceptional.

“c l o s e” – As one of the shorter songs of the album, a lot of information is packed into a little bit of time. Cole raps about losing a friend to drugs and gang life while sampling and paying homage to MF DOOM.

“h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e” – This is just a great outro. It’s a fitting ending to an amazing album. Bas’ vocals are impressive, once again. His contributions to this project were one of the lowkey highlights of the project. Cole raps about trying to stay the same person, now that he’s found the passion for rapping again, as he navigates through his future.

The flaws on this project are tiny. One of the most annoying parts of this project might just be how he spaced out the letters in the track list. 

I think that “p u n c h i n ‘ . t h e . c l o c k” and “1 0 0 . m i l ‘ “ are slightly unnecessary, but that doesn’t make them bad songs. 

“The Off-Season” feels like an appetizer for a five-course meal. The whole album feels like a teaser for the projects Cole has coming soon.

This is easily the best album of the year so far. It has set a high bar for any other album attempting to come for the throne as the album of the year.

The Future

As of right now, Cole is in Rwanda, playing professional basketball for the Rwanda Patriots in the inaugural season of the Basketball African League

As it pertains to his music, it looks like he has two more projects left to be released before he hangs up the microphone. According to the Instagram post I referenced earlier, his next project will be titled “It’s A Boy” and his final album will be titled “The Fall Off.” 

These projects could come as soon as early as this year or as late as years down the road. It all depends on the timing for Cole.